A Stopwatch from Grampa

Starred review from March 1, 2020

PreS-Gr 2-Told in an unadorned first-person narrative, this story provides an honest depiction of the loss of a grandparent. A child sits alone on a porch swing, holding Grampa's stopwatch, with a forlorn expression that matches the text: "I don't want his stopwatch. I want him." Time seems to have stopped; the summer day is still and quiet, and a dog waits patiently nearby with its ball. The stopwatch unleashes a series of vivid memories. Throwing the memento into a bottom drawer, the youngster faces days that now seem lonely and empty. Seasons pass, though, and "Remembering him feels good. Done in gouache and graphite, the illustrations meld together soft textures, warm backdrops, and appealing splashes of color. The characters' faces are expressive and deftly support the emotions revealed in the text. VERDICT A good discussion starter, this poignant, accessible picture book explores grief, the comfort provided by the passage of time, and the way in which memories allow us to keep loved ones in our hearts forever.-Joy Fleishhacker, Pikes Peak Library District, Colorado Springs

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 15, 2020
Something as simple as a stopwatch can start, stop, and restart a lifetime of memories. A young child with pale skin and dark hair holds a stopwatch and slumps, despondent, on a porch. Grampa has recently passed away, and the child is in the throes of sadness and loneliness. Together, they had used the stopwatch to record various activities in minutes and seconds, like the child's eating bubble-gum ice cream, Grampa's snoring on the couch, both eating oatmeal-raisin cookies, and more. Those seconds and minutes represented a deep, intergenerational friendship, the absence of which is keenly felt by the young child. Unable to bear this loss, the child buries the stopwatch in a drawer and experiences anger, bargaining, denial, even depression--rarely so clearly characterized in picture books for young readers. Time heals most wounds, and, as the seasons pass, the time comes at last when new memories can be made using Grampa's favorite stopwatch. Told in honest, first-person prose, this story gently confronts this first journey through loss, offering sensitive conversation starters for families. Muted, poignant illustrations rendered in paint and both colored and graphite pencils effectively depict this difficult yet all too common experience. The child's face in particular, though simply drawn, evokes a range of emotions--at once poignant and comprehensible. An excellent and understated portrayal of grief from a child's perspective. (Picture book. 4-7)

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2020
"When summer started, I got Grampa's stopwatch. I don't want his stopwatch. I want him." The accompanying illustration shows a child sitting all alone on a porch swing, bereft. We next see scenes from the past in illustrations set like snapshots on the page; these depict the child and Grampa's close relationship as they enjoy their mutual love of timing things with the stopwatch: how long it takes to eat three oatmeal cookies, or bubblegum ice cream (and how many seconds the subsequent brain freeze lasts); how long it takes for the child to race to the end of the street and back, or for a caterpillar to crawl up the child's leg. Now, without Grampa, the youngster is angry (drawing harshly scribbled pictures of monsters) and depressed (losing interest in ordinary activities). The watch is thrown into a drawer and forgotten. Time passes, and one day the child finds the stopwatch and begins timing things again. "The watch...makes me think of all the things we used to time together. Remembering him feels good...Like he is still here with me." Without being the least bit didactic, the book takes readers through the stages of grief--and in a heart-tugging ending, the protagonist moves forward in the healing process to introduce someone new, a younger sibling, to the pleasures of using Grampa's stopwatch. Details in both the text and the child-friendly, digitally produced art (including the empathetic, loyal family dog and homemade--by Dad--heart-shaped cookies) are perfectly pitched for the audience.

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

May 1, 2020
"When summer started, I got Grampa's stopwatch. I don't want his stopwatch. I want him." The accompanying illustration shows a child sitting all alone on a porch swing, bereft. We next see scenes from the past in illustrations set like snapshots on the page; these depict the child and Grampa's close relationship as they enjoy their mutual love of timing things with the stopwatch: how long it takes to eat three oatmeal cookies, or bubblegum ice cream (and how many seconds the subsequent brain freeze lasts); how long it takes for the child to race to the end of the street and back, or for a caterpillar to crawl up the child's leg. Now, without Grampa, the youngster is angry (drawing harshly scribbled pictures of monsters) and depressed (losing interest in ordinary activities). The watch is thrown into a drawer and forgotten. Time passes, and one day the child finds the stopwatch and begins timing things again. "The watch...makes me think of all the things we used to time together. Remembering him feels good...Like he is still here with me." Without being the least bit didactic, the book takes readers through the stages of grief-and in a heart-tugging ending, the protagonist moves forward in the healing process to introduce someone new, a younger sibling, to the pleasures of using Grampa's stopwatch. Details in both the text and the child-friendly, digitally produced art (including the empathetic, loyal family dog and homemade-by Dad-heart-shaped cookies) are perfectly pitched for the audience. Martha V. Parravano

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)